Month: November 2017

MECHANICSBURG, PA – Sunbury Press has released The Compass Island Incident: November 1963 a novel by Wade Fowler, under its Milford House Press imprint.

About the Book:

John Franklin Kincaid clocks out at 4 PM on Thursday, August 27, 1953, after his shift at New York Shipbuilding Corporation’s sprawling shipyard in Camden, New Jersey, never to be seen or heard from again.

A little more than a decade later, a little girl is assailed by a terrible recurring nightmare. She dreams she is a man, buried alive in a dark compartment in the bowels of a ship under construction.

On November 16, 1963, President Kennedy helicopters to that ship, now a US Naval vessel called the USS Compass Island, as it steams off the coast of Florida to witness the firing of a Polaris missile clandestinely targeting Cuba’s Fidel Castro.

And so topple the first dominoes in a chain of events leading inexorably to the president’s assassination one week later in Dallas, Texas.

Who killed JFK — the president and shipyard worker? The answers abide on the Compass Island as the old ship casts off on its final voyage to the scrap yard in October of 2003 with descendants of John Franklin Kincaid on board and determined to solve not one, but two murder mysteries.

About the Author:

Wade Fowler is a career journalist with more than thirty years of experience with daily and weekly newspapers. He was a copy editor, feature writer and beat reporter for The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, PA, for 10 years before leaving to become editor of the Perry County Times in New Bloomfield.

He has won Keystone Press Awards for investigative reporting, feature series writing, and headline writing and is a former president of the Pennsylvania Society of Newspaper Editors.

Fowler is a native of North Carolina, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and a graduate of Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C.

He and his wife, Sharon, live in New Cumberland, PA. They have three children and two grandchildren.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Sunbury Press has released Dreams of My Comrades: The Story of MM1C Murray Jacobs by Scott Zuckerman, MD.

About the Book:

When a ninety-five-year-old World War II veteran from Utah agrees to reveal the untold details of his wartime experiences to a pediatrician from Brooklyn, an intense bond is formed between the two men, each of whom is taken on an unexpected journey in search of the truth.

Dreams of My Comrades chronicles the life of Murray Jacobs, a former Navy Seabee, who served in the Pacific Theater and was treated for PTSD until his death at the age of ninety-eight. He agreed to a series of interviews, under the strict conditions that his real name could not be used, and the details of the conversations could not be disclosed to anyone until after he was dead.

Murray’s story is not one of heroism, nor does he portray himself as heroic in his narrative. In the course of his dialogue with the author, Murray confesses to wartime atrocities the likes of which have never before been heard. Despite his advanced age, his recollections are entirely lucid, and he describes the events of his life in vivid detail. As the conversations progress, however, the author comes to recognize the challenges involved in trying to depict history based on the account of a single elderly man. Discrepancies lead to doubts, doubts lead to disbelief, disbelief leads to investigation, and after exhausting all possible avenues of research, unanswered questions linger and tantalize. This is a unique story, one that will not only appeal to connoisseurs of history but to anyone interested in the psychology of the human condition. It is unlike any narrative ever told about a veteran of the Second World War.

About the Author:

Dr. Scott Zuckerman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended Stuyvesant High School in lower Manhattan. His high school English teacher, Frank McCourt—who would later win a Pulitzer Prize for his memoir, Angela’s Ashes—inscribed in his yearbook, “You have displayed the writer’s gift. Cultivate it.” Forty years later, after a successful career as a physician, Zuckerman has heeded McCourt’s advice. Dreams of My Comrades was awarded first place in the nonfiction category of the 2015 Utah Original Writing Competition.

What Others Are Saying:

“I found Dreams of My Comrades captivating. When I put it down at night I was eager to return to it the next day. The author was not only on top of his subject, I found him likable, funny, clever, sympathetic, insightful, and as fair as he could, in good conscience, be. How war atrocities gave way to an unexpected mystery midstream was particularly compelling. The title, which I didn’t think much of in the beginning, turns out to be brilliant.” —Poe Ballantine, Award-winning author of Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere

LOS ANGELES, CA – Sunbury Press has released The Marines’ Lost Squadron: The Odyssey of VMF-422 by Mark Carlson.

About the Book:

Finally, there is a book that reveals the truth about the worst air disaster to strike a Marine Corps fighter squadron during the Second World War. Marine Fighter Squadron 422 was a group of twenty-four typical young Americans trained to fly the famous F4U Corsair into combat with the legendary Japanese Zero. When they arrived in the Pacific, they suddenly found that not all their enemies carried guns in savage Banzai charges. Their two most dangerous and merciless adversaries were the fury of a tropical typhoon and the cold heartless whims of a Marine Corps general. Together, these two foes seal the fate of VMF-422 and cause the greatest disaster ever to strike a Marine squadron.

Aviation historian Mark Carlson has written the first full account of a group of ordinary young men who were suddenly challenged beyond their experience and which forever changed the lives of the survivors. The Marines’ Lost Squadron is the dramatic true story of a desperate and courageous fight for survival against the forces of nature and a conspiracy of silence. The Marines’ Lost Squadron is a saga of courage and conspiracy, patriotism and pride, fate and futility in a struggle to survive the ferocity of a huge typhoon in the midst of the Second World War.

What Others Are Saying:

“Mark Carlson does it again, this time with a fast-moving revelation of a forgotten Second World War tragedy, one that should be remembered by all! Excellent! A compelling read.” — Colonel Walter J Boyne, USAF, (Retired), world-renowned author and historian, former curator of the National Air & Space Museum

Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks has compiled this history of Atlantic City’s racially segregated beach during its heyday from the 1920s through the 1960s and the residents who lived on the Northside near the established Missouri Avenue Beach. Included are images, research, and oral interviews of Atlantic City residents. Despite racial division in America, Chicken Bone Beach functioned as an African-American resort attracting celebrities, civic leaders, and other races.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks is a legislative assistant with the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who recently completed her Masters of Arts in American Studies at Pennsylvania State University. Cheryl’s passion for writing began as a child and won her a Martha Holden Jennings Essay Scholarship in high school and another essay scholarship from the National Black MBA Association while pursuing her Masters from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Cheryl is also a professional vocalist, writing songs for her own music projects as well as other artists. Cheryl was featured in Currents Magazine (PSU Alumni Magazine). Spring/Summer 2016 issue, discussing the exhibit of Chicken Bone Beach photographs.and the history of the beach.Cheryl resides in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania with her husband and son.

STATE COLLEGE, PA – Sunbury Press has released The Most Hated Man in America: Jerry Sandusky and the Rush to Judgment by Mark Pendergrast.

About the Book:

Everyone knows the story of Jerry Sandusky, the serial pedophile, the Monster. But what if that story is wrong? What if the former Penn State football coach and founder of the Second Mile is an innocent man convicted in the midst of a moral panic fed by the sensationalistic media, police trawling, and memory-warping psychotherapy? The Most Hated Man in America reads like a true crime psychological thriller and is required reading for everyone from criminologists to sports fans.

“If potential readers are convinced that Jerry Sandusky is guilty, they need to read The Most Hated Man in America. This meticulously researched, provocative, and wonderfully written book by Mark Pendergrast, an enormously important contributor to the repressed memory debate, will certainly make them see another side. Maybe they will think twice.”

— Elizabeth Loftus, Distinguished Professor of Psychology & Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, author, The Myth of Repressed Memory and other books.

“The Most Hated Man in America tells a truly remarkable story. In all the media coverage the Sandusky case has received, it’s amazing that no one else has noticed or written about so many of these things, including all the ‘memories’ that were retrieved through therapy and litigation. One would think that the sheer insanity of so much of this will have to eventually come out.”

–Richard A. Leo, Hamill Family Professor of Law and Psychology, University of San Francisco, author, Police Interrogation and American Justice and The Wrong Guys: Murder, False Confessions, and the Norfolk Four

“Virtually everybody knows with certainty that Jerry Sandusky is a serial child molester. He was, after all, found guilty by a jury of his peers. But what if what we think we know about Sandusky is at least in some ways incorrect? Regardless of their ultimate conclusions, readers will find The Most Hated Man in America to be thoughtful and provocative, addressing questions that deserve to be asked in a just society.”

Independent scholar and science writer Mark Pendergrast is the author of many critically acclaimed, deeply researched works of non-fiction, including Memory Warp, The Repressed Memory Epidemic, Victims of Memory, Uncommon Grounds, Inside the Outbreaks, Mirror Mirror, and For God, Country and Coca-Cola, among others. He lives in Vermont and can be reached through his website, www.markpendergrast.com

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for October. Former Congressman Jason Altmire’s Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do About Ittook the top spot for the third month in a row. Call Sign Dracula by Joe Fair was runner-up.

SUNBURY PRESS – Bestsellers for October, 2017 (by Revenue)

Rank

Prior

Title

Author

Category

1

1

Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do About It

Jason Altmire

Political Science

2

3

Call Sign Dracula

Joe Fair

Military Memoir

3

10

Chasing Understanding in the Jungles of Vietnam

Doug Beed

Military Memoir

4

2

Tigers by the River

Wylie McLallen

Sports History

5

4

A Pennsylvania Mennonite and the California Gold Rush

Lawrence Knorr

History

6

5

Wonder Boy: The Story of Carl Scheib

Lawrence Knorr

Sports Biography

7

8

Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last, 2nd Ed.

Mike Campbell

History

8

6

The Relations of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 2nd Ed.

Lawrence Knorr

Genealogy

9

—

Tulpehocken Trail Traces

Steve Troutman

History

10

NEW

Gotham Graves Volume Two

Joe Farrell & Joe Farley

Biography

11

NEW

The Lost Island of Columbus

Keith Pickering

History

12

7

The Relations of Isaac F. Stiely, Minister of the Mahantongo Valley

Lawrence Knorr

Genealogy

13

—

Keystone Tombstones Volume 1

Joe Farrell & Joe Farley

Biography

14

9

General John Fulton Reynolds: His Biography, Words, and Relations

Lawrence Knorr, Michael Riley, & Diane Watson

Genealogy

15

—

Keystone Corruption Continues

Brad Bumsted

History

16

13

The Ripper’s Haunts

Michael Hawley

True Crime

17

—

Embattled Freedom

Jim Remsen

History

18

—

There Is Something about Rough and Ready

Lawrence Knorr, et al

History

19

12

Freemasons at Gettysburg

Sheldon Munn

History

20

—

Hidden Dangers: Mexico on the Brink of Disaster

R J Stout

Government

21

16

History of Lykens Township, Volume 2

Gratz Historical Society

History

22

—

Scared Skinny No More

Mary Dimino & Brad Johnson

Self-Help

23

—

Raising Monarchs

Sue McGovern

Pets

24

11

The BANG Story

Lawrence Knorr & BANG

Music Biography

25

—

That Night at Surigao

Ernie Marshall

History

Jason Altmire’s Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do About It was #1 due to brisk sales following the former Congressman’s appearances on Your World with Neil Cavuto and Meet the Press with Chuck Todd. Joe Fair’s Call Sign Dracula placed #2 due to the sales of the Kindle version. Doug Beed’s Chasing Understanding in Vietnam showed third, also due to Kindle sales. Wylie McLallen’s Tigers by the River took #4 due to author appearances and due to seasonal interest in professional football.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for October for its Milford House Press fiction imprint. J. Geoffrey Barber’s historical novel Three Rogues at Gettysburg took the top spot. Dennis Herrick’s updated historical novel Winter of the Metal People, placed second.

MILFORD HOUSE PRESS – Bestsellers for Octoer, 2017 (by Revenue)

Rank

Prior

Title

Author

Category

1

NEW

Three Rogues in Gettysburg

J Geoffrey Barber

Historical

2

NEW

Winter of the Metal People (2 ed.)

Dennis Herrick

Historical

3

5

The Sign of the Eagle

Jess Steven Hughes

Historical

4

8

Dying for Vengeance

Joan West

Detective Thriller

5

—

The Making of a Don

Charles Ursitti

Crime Thriller

6

—

The Closer

Alan Mindell

Sports

7

—

The Wolf of Britannia Part II

Jess Steven Hughes

Historical

8

—

Dead of Autumn

Sherry Knowlton

Detective Thriller

9

—

The Wolf of Britannia Part I

Jess Steven Hughes

Historical

10

4

The Broken Lance

Jess Steven Hughes

Historical

11

—

Rising Hope

Marie Sontag

Historical YA

12

—

A Brother’s Cold Case

Dennis Herrick

Detective Thriller

13

—

Darkness at First Light

Joan West

Detective Thriller

14

—

Had a Dying Fall

Joan West

Detective Thriller

15

2

Hard to Quit

Mark Mitten

Western

Barber’s novel Three Rogues at Gettysburg took the top spot due to release activities. Herrick’s Winter of the Metal People and A Brother’s Cold Case were bolstered by author activities. Jess Steven Hughes had four titles on the list due to his ongoing book signings. Joan West had three of her titles on the list due to recent book events.
.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for October for its horror/thriller imprint, HELLBENDER BOOKS. Michael Hawley’s supernatural thriller The Ripper’s Hellbroth was the bestseller for the month. Kyle Alexander Romine’s supernatural thriller The Keeper of the Crows was second. Keith Rommel’s psychological thrillers filled out the remainder of the list.

HELLBENDER BOOKS – Bestsellers for October, 2017 (by Revenue)

Rank

Prior

Title

Author

Category

1

NEW

The Ripper’s Hellbroth

Michael Hawley

Supernatural Thriller

2

1

The Keeper of the Crows

Kyle Alexander Romines

Supernatural Thriller

3

—

The Silent Woman

Keith Rommel

Psychological Thriller

4

—

You Killed My Brother

Keith Rommel

Psychological Thriller

5

3

The Sinful Man

Keith Rommel

Psychological Thriller

Hawley was buoyed by author appearances and activities. Romines was helped by strong ebook sales. Rommel performed well with ebook sales due to his movie deals.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for October for its spiritual/metaphysical imprint, ARS METAPHYSICA. The Peoples’ Medium, Michele Livingston, took the top spot with her visionary Messages from Beyond, revealing her channeling of information from the other side. Robin McClellan’s metaphysical fiction series OneWay claimed the next two spots.

ARS METAPHYSICA – Bestsellers for October, 2017 (by Revenue)

Rank

Prior

Title

Author

Category

1

—

Messages from Beyond

Michele Livingston

Metaphysical

2

—

OneWay:The Message

Robin McClellan

Metaphysical Fiction

3

—

OneWay:The Oracle

Robin McClellan

Metaphysical Fiction

4

2

Living in the Afterlife

Michele Livingston

Metaphysical

5

4

Pythagoras the Mathemagician

Karim el Koussa

Historical Fiction

Livingston’s books have sold steadily throughout the US and overseas due to the subject matter. McClellan’s books were bolstered by author activities in the Harrisburg area. El Koussa’s books have been helped by exports.
.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released the bestsellers list for October for its literary fiction imprint, BROWN POSEY PRESS. William F. Lee’s touching grief memoir about the loss of his wife after a long marriage, All My Heroes Are Gone, ranked number one. The Bittersweet compilation of short stories edited by Catherine Jordan in coordination with the Fredericksen Library in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, was second.

BROWN POSEY PRESS – Bestsellers for October, 2017 (by Revenue)

Rank

Prior

Title

Author

Category

1

2

All My Heroes Are Gone

William F Lee

Grief Memoir

2

—

Bitter Sweet Anthology

Catherine Jordan, et al

Short Stories

3

—

Sanctuary Dishonored

Robin Lee

Art History

4

—

Keep It Blue

Haley Dean

Bipolar Memoir

5

—

A Journey Called Life

Christina Burns

True Crime Memoir

Lee’s book has performed well due to author activities in his local area of Texas. The short story anthology received support at local book fairs. The other titles were bolstered by online sales.